More than 31,000 persons aged 12 and over were involved in some form of voluntary work last year, the National Statistics Office said today. 

It said the 2014 Statistics on Income and Living Conditions Survey showed that the largest share of these volunteers dedicated their time to a voluntary organisation, while just 0.4 per cent did informal voluntary work, such as helping out a neighbour or relative.

The majority of persons doing formal voluntary work were aged between 25 and 49. Nearly 30 per cent of volunteers were conducting voluntary work related to institutional care, while 20.0 per cent carried out activities within voluntary organisations that have a religious affinity.

The shares of male and female volunteers was estimated at 45.4 per cent and 33.7 per cent respectively. Nearly one-third of respondents volunteered for less than 10 hours per week. Just over a quarter of volunteers dedicated more than 30 hours per week for such voluntary work.

When compared to 2013, the average number of hours spent in voluntary work remained relatively stable for all age categories. On average, in 2014, male voluntary workers spent seven more hours in voluntary activities than their female counterparts. Furthermore, the average number of hours spent in voluntary work varied according to the main activity status, from an average of 24 hours per month for working persons to 48 hours per month for unemployed persons.

46.7 per cent of volunteers said they were doing this work because they felt it was their moral duty, while 22.0 per cent said to be doing so because of sympathy for the needy.